Abstract: A magnetic recording medium according to one embodiment includes at least a ground layer above a non-magnetic substrate; a magnetic recording layer above the ground layer; and an overcoat above the magnetic recording layer, the overcoat characterized in that said overcoat is an amorphous carbon film having a ratio of sp3 bonding with respect to sp2 bonding (sp3/(sp2+sp3)) of at least 0.5, and hydrogen content in the overcoat in a center layer thereof in a film thickness direction of said overcoat is from 0.1 atom % to 0.6 atom %. Additional products and methods are also presented.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes at least one magnetic head element for reading from and/or writing to a magnetic medium, the element having an air bearing surface (ABS) facing toward a magnetic medium, an adhesive film including silicon nitride above the ABS having a characteristic of being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon. Also, in another embodiment, a method includes forming an ABS of a magnetic head, the ABS being a surface of the magnetic head which is closest to a magnetic medium when in use, forming an adhesive film above the ABS of the magnetic head, the adhesive film being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and forming a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention produce discrete track media and bit patterned media having both excellent read/write performance and reliability. According to one embodiment, the medium comprises a magnetic layers formed by at least two ferromagnetic alloy layers with different compositions on a substrate. The ferromagnetic alloy layer located closest to the medium surface has more concentrated parts and less concentrated parts of nonmagnetic element in the in-plane direction. The more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element contain more nonmagnetic elements than the other parts except for an intermediate layer in the magnetic recording layer. The more concentrated parts and the less concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element in the ferromagnetic alloy layer located closest to the medium surface are formed substantially concentric. The more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element is formed by being doped with ions of nonmagnetic element.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes at least one magnetic head element for reading from and/or writing to a magnetic medium, the element having an air bearing surface (ABS) facing toward a magnetic medium, an adhesive film including silicon nitride above the ABS having a characteristic of being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon. Also, in another embodiment, a method includes forming an ABS of a magnetic head, the ABS being a surface of the magnetic head which is closest to a magnetic medium when in use, forming an adhesive film above the ABS of the magnetic head, the adhesive film being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and forming a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide recording area separated magnetic recording media (DTMs, BPMs) allowing magnetic heads to fly lower. According to one embodiment, the recording area separated magnetic recording media are configured so that magnetic recording layers have parts with the relatively higher element ratio of a ferromagnetic material, and parts with the lower element ratio of the ferromagnetic material, occurring periodically in the in-plane direction, and the average height from the substrate surface of the parts with the relatively higher element ratio of a ferromagnetic material is higher than the average height from the substrate surface of the parts with the lower element ratio of the ferromagnetic material.

Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting a distance measuring light and for measuring a distance to an object to be measured, a camera for taking an image in measuring direction, a display unit for displaying the pickup image, a touch panel provided to correspond to a screen position of the display unit, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilting of the measuring direction, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a distance to the object to be measured by giving consideration on the tilting in the measuring direction and a point-to-point distance as specified on the image by specifying two or more points of the object to be measured on a displayed image via the touch panel.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention help to produce discrete track media and bit patterned media having both excellent recording and reproducing performance and reliability. According to one embodiment, a manufacturing method forms a nonmagnetic layer mainly composed of the same element as a nonmagnetic element contained in magnetic recording layers and on the magnetic recording layers and a mask layer having apertures for forming more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element in the magnetic recording layers on the nonmagnetic layer. The method implants ions of the nonmagnetic element through the nonmagnetic layer masked by the mask layer to form the more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element in the magnetic recording layer.

Abstract: Since structural portions of a device made of a plurality of materials are different from one another in mechanical hardness, it is very difficult to uniformly lap the structural portions. This is attributable to generation of machining recessions due to differences in lapped amount when large fixed abrasive grains are used, and generation of lapping marks caused by that the dropped abrasive grains rotate. Accordingly, in order to cope with the disadvantage, it is essential to surely grip abrasive grains of small size to a surface of a surface plate.

Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting a distance measuring light and for measuring a distance to an object to be measured, a camera for taking an image in measuring direction, a display unit for displaying the pickup image, a touch panel provided to correspond to a screen position of the display unit, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilting of the measuring direction, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a distance to the object to be measured by giving consideration on the tilting in the measuring direction and a point-to-point distance as specified on the image by specifying two or more points of the object to be measured on a displayed image via the touch panel.

Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting a distance measuring light and for measuring a distance to an object to be measured, a camera for taking an image in measuring direction, a display unit for displaying the pickup image, a touch panel provided to correspond to a screen position of the display unit, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilting of the measuring direction, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a distance to the object to be measured by giving consideration on the tilting in the measuring direction and a point-to-point distance as specified on the image by specifying two or more points of the object to be measured on a displayed image via the touch panel.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording medium includes a magnetic recording layer formed above a substrate, the magnetic recording layer being comprised of an alloy having a crystal structure, recording tracks formed on the magnetic recording layer in nearly concentric circular shapes, wherein the recording tracks are comprised of a first alloy composition having a crystal structure, and track separation regions formed between the recording tracks on the magnetic recording layer, wherein the track separation regions are comprised of a second alloy composition having a crystal structure, the second alloy composition comprising the first alloy composition and a non-magnetic element, wherein a lattice constant of the second alloy composition is greater than a lattice constant of the first alloy composition. In other embodiments, methods of manufacturing magnetic recording media and systems using magnetic recording media are described.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of producing a magnetic head slider comprises the steps of forming, on the air bearing surface of the slider, an air bearing surface overcoat, removing the surface region from a hard amorphous carbon film by the irradiation with an ion beam which is tilted with respect to a normal to the air bearing surface, and forming a rail in the air bearing surface on which the air bearing surface overcoat has been formed. A high density and covering performance are obtained when the angle of irradiating the ion beam is not smaller than about 60 degrees from a normal to the air bearing surface of the magnetic head slider and when the acceleration voltage for the ion beam is not higher than about 300 V in the step of removing part of the air bearing surface overcoat.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention produce discrete track media and bit patterned media having both excellent read/write performance and reliability. According to one embodiment, the medium comprises a magnetic layers formed by at least two ferromagnetic alloy layers with different compositions on a substrate. The ferromagnetic alloy layer located closest to the medium surface has more concentrated parts and less concentrated parts of nonmagnetic element in the in-plane direction. The more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element contain more nonmagnetic elements than the other parts except for an intermediate layer in the magnetic recording layer. The more concentrated parts and the less concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element in the ferromagnetic alloy layer located closest to the medium surface are formed substantially concentric. The more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element is formed by being doped with ions of nonmagnetic element.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide recording area separated magnetic recording media (DTMs, BPMs) allowing magnetic heads to fly lower. According to one embodiment, the recording area separated magnetic recording media are configured so that magnetic recording layers have parts with the relatively higher element ratio of a ferromagnetic material, and parts with the lower element ratio of the ferromagnetic material, occurring periodically in the in-plane direction, and the average height from the substrate surface of the parts with the relatively higher element ratio of a ferromagnetic material is higher than the average height from the substrate surface of the parts with the lower element ratio of the ferromagnetic material.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention help to produce discrete track media and bit patterned media having both excellent recording and reproducing performance and reliability. According to one embodiment, a manufacturing method forms a nonmagnetic layer mainly composed of the same element as a nonmagnetic element contained in magnetic recording layers and on the magnetic recording layers and a mask layer having apertures for forming more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element in the magnetic recording layers on the nonmagnetic layer. The method implants ions of the nonmagnetic element through the nonmagnetic layer masked by the mask layer to form the more concentrated parts of the nonmagnetic element in the magnetic recording layer.

Abstract: To promote reduction in thickness of an air bearing surface protective film of a magnetic head, a magnetic head having an air bearing surface protective film consisting only of a thin carbon film while excluding formation of a dead layer by ion incidence as less as possible to the read/write device, and a manufacturing method therefore, are provided. In an embodiment, an air bearing surface protective film of a magnetic head comprises a thin carbon film, in which the mass density a lowermost layer of the air bearing surface protective film on the side of a magnetic device is made lower compared with a thin carbon film constituting other adjacent layers. Further, the manufacturing method comprises deposition under the control of time for the incident angle of ion flow to a substrate to be processed and deposition under the control of time for the ion flow energy to a substrate to be processed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a manufacturing method that can form a track guide separation area of a magnetic disk substrate constituting a patterned medium represented by a discrete track medium or bit patterned medium suitable for high recording density, uniformly on the whole surface of the magnetic disk substrate, and accurately according to the mask. According to one embodiment, a soft magnetic film, an under coating film, and a magnetic film are formed on a substrate. A mask having an arbitrary pattern shape provided for forming the track guide separation area in the magnetic film is formed on the magnetic film, and the track guide separation area is formed by irradiating ions and electrons onto the surface of the magnetic film and applying an intermittent voltage to the substrate, thereby non-magnetizing the area irradiated.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide an air bearing surface protection film having good corrosive resistance, electrical insulative property and mechanical wear resistance in the state of an extremely thin film. In one embodiment, an air bearing surface protection film having good corrosive resistance, electrical insulative property and mechanical wear resistance in a state of an extremely thin film is obtained by disposing a thin silicon nitride film having high density, high electric resistance, chemical stability and high adhesion with a substrate as a lowermost air bearing surface protection film and disposing a film comprising tetrahedral amorphous carbon and nitrogen as an uppermost air bearing surface protection film.

Abstract: Since structural portions of a device made of a plurality of materials are different from one another in mechanical hardness, it is very difficult to uniformly lap the structural portions. This is attributable to generation of machining recessions due to differences in lapped amount when large fixed abrasive grains are used, and generation of lapping marks caused by that the dropped abrasive grains rotate. Accordingly, in order to cope with the disadvantage, it is essential to surely grip abrasive grains of small size to a surface of a surface plate.

Abstract: A magnetic head slider having an air bearing surface overcoat that has excellent corrosion resistance and wear resistance despite its very small thickness is provided. In one embodiment, a method of producing a magnetic head slider comprises the steps of forming, on the air bearing surface of the slider, an air bearing surface overcoat which is a film stack of an amorphous silicon film and a hard amorphous carbon film, removing the surface region from the hard amorphous carbon film by the irradiation with an ion beam which is tilted with respect to a normal to the air bearing surface, and forming a rail in the air bearing surface on which the air bearing surface overcoat has been formed. The amount of the diamond component in the hard amorphous carbon film must not be smaller than about 45% and, desirably, in a range of about 60% to 85%.